SEPTEMBER 16, 2013 | TANZANIA
Tanzania’s Highest Court Upholds Human Rights of Witness Students
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania—The Court of Appeal of
Tanzania, the country’s highest court, unanimously ruled on July 12,
2013, that schools in the Mbeya region violated the religious freedom of
127 students who were either expelled from school or disciplined after
their conscientious refusal to sing the national anthem.
In 2007, the Shikula School Board expelled five
Witness youths after they refused to sing the national anthem.
Additionally, primary and secondary schools in the region disciplined
122 other Witness youths for the same reason. After appealing
unsuccessfully to national education officials and the prime minister,
the 127 students sought legal redress in the High Court of Tanzania, the
second highest court in the country. The High Court supported the
expulsion, though their decision was not unanimous. Subsequently, on
December 2, 2010, the students applied to the Court of Appeal. According
to court documents, the ruling by the Court of Appeal “quash[es] and
set[s] aside” the decision of the High Court and nullifies any of its
consequences.
Zadok Mwaipwisi, a spokesman for Jehovah’s
Witnesses in Tanzania, states: “We are happy with the court’s decision
and the support it has shown for the conscientious stand of these young
people. This victory confirms the constitutional right of freedom of
religion not only for Jehovah’s Witnesses but for all citizens of
Tanzania.”
Media Contact(s):
International: J. R. Brown, Office of Public Information, tel. +1 718 560 5000
Tanzania: Zadok Mwaipwisi, tel. +255 22 2650592
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